I have been working on a Gilbert and Sullivan tune off and on lately, mainly as an exercise. The tune is "I Am the Very Model of a Modern Major General" from "The Pirates of Penzance". I found the standard notation version in the Hal Leonard "Classical Fake Book", then I transcribed it into TablEdit. It was in the key of Eb and it proved to be a veritable fingerbuster (for me anyway). Whenever I worked on it, my pinkie finger would ache for at least a day afterwards. A few days ago, I decided to get serious with the tune and actually try to learn it well enough to play it all the way through without a major crash. But I soon decided that was just not going to happen any time soon in Eb. So I tried a few other keys and settled on D. It is actually fun in D. Here are links to pdf and tef files for both keys if you are interested: Eb pdf: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1R0...31evcZ1d0mj567 Eb tef: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1bU...CQEb7cgca-R_43 D pdf: https://drive.google.com/open?id=18c...UkS0jQsQfiyNpv D tef: https://drive.google.com/open?id=1wE...6xX2YpOrnmWVVU If you are not familiar with the tune, you might want to find it on YouTube to hear how it goes before you dig into the tabs or the notation.
Here it is with subtitles in case you want to sing along.
If you aren't familiar with the tune, then I feel sorry for you. One should have been exposed to at least Pirates of Penzance and HMS Pinafore
Henry, thanks for sharing this with the group. I love the way we get to discover new and different types of music here. You have opened my eyes to several tunes now. Kevin, I'm a recovering hippie redneck biker. Never showed the finer things in life.
some of my best friends are hippie redneck bikers
Ok Henry, you went to the trouble of transcribing this. I have got your PDF of song in the key of D. Why do I feel like I am jumping in the deep end of the pool. Thanks Kevin.
Eb is diabolical. D is fun.
Good deed, Henry, thanks.
Henry, do you play this as fast as in the video?
Depends on which parts. I can play the rests up to speed. On about all the remainder I am half fast at best. Seriously, I am at the stage where I am reading the notes ok but still stumble on some passages unless I slow down a lot. Then I speed back up. Don’t dare suggest a metronome.
At least you've got the rests down. Progress!
I agree. A metronome would only make this piece more challenging.
Who cares about proper rhythm anyway, right?
I plan to play this “freely” and “with feeling”. Or, fast on the straightaways and careful on the curves.